Chapter 17
Seventeen
S ybil
“Nice place you’ve got here. It’s really something else,” Benton compliments Cooper, who, thank goodness, has the decency to wipe his glare away the second Benton makes eye contact with him.
Not that he replaces it with a pleasant expression.
It’s more like he smells something a little less potent than a skunk.
“Yeah, I like it.” Cooper’s voice is clipped, and I bite my tongue from saying something snarky. I swear, if Cooper sours this deal with Benton, I’m going to kill him.
“Can I speak to you privately?” I grab Cooper by the arm.
Perry steps in with Benton and the two other cast members we have here tonight, making introductions I’ll have to catch later. I march Cooper away from the group, knowing exactly where the home office is, since it’s the same floor plan as Ethan’s.
I can’t help but take in Cooper’s design as I go, noting it’s more high-end than I expected.
When I helped Ethan and Arden with their place, it was pretty sterile and needed a woman’s touch.
But Cooper’s home is the perfect blend of modern-masculine meets cozy-artist. He either hired an interior designer or there’s more to Cooper than I know.
I’d compliment him if I wasn’t so pissed.
“What’s your problem?” I hiss the second we close ourselves inside his office.
His jaw ticks. “I don’t have a problem.”
“If you weren’t looking like you hoped Benton would spontaneously combust, maybe I’d believe you,” I say.
“Are you done embarrassing yourself, yet? We have guests to attend to.”
We have guests to attend to? I’ve never heard him talk to me so formally, and it unnerves me even more.
“Getting Benton here was no easy feat, and if things go well tonight, I’m certain he’ll take this to his manager, and we can work out a deal.”
His eyes darken. “We don’t need Benton. We can find someone better.”
“What’s your problem with Benton? He’s perfect.”
“He’s your lover,” Cooper growls, inching forward until I’m pressed against the door. He sounds jealous, but I know better than to think that. Years ago, maybe. But now he hates me.
“My sex life is none of your business.”
“Put one of your fuck-buddies on national television, and your sex life will be everyone’s business, Valentine. I’m doing this to protect you.”
I study his face, my gaze dancing across his features. An intense longing surfaces deep in my belly, and how much I’ve desperately missed his friendship comes bubbling up. “If you’re trying to protect me, does that mean you don’t hate me anymore?”
“I never hated you, Sybil.” An unreadable expression crosses his face. “You were my best friend, and you dropped me like I was nothing.”
“I had to,” I whisper. “You know why I had to…” A torrent of emotions swirls through my body, mingling with flashes of long-ago memories that nearly killed me.
He sighs. “I don’t hate you, but don’t hate me for building a wall between us. I can’t take that wall down just because you want me to.”
I may not like it, but I understand, and I don’t want to argue anymore.
I close my eyes briefly, shoulders slumping as the weight of our broken friendship presses down.
“Okay,” I say, opening my eyes again to see him unmoved.
“I hear your concerns about Benton. If he gets on the show, I promise to keep it professional between the two of us. A sexual relationship between a cast-member and a producer is not okay.”
He nods slowly. “Fine. Great. You’re good at cutting people off. Do it to him, and I’ll agree to him being on the show.”
His words send a pang of regret right through me. He thinks I’m cold and unfeeling, that it didn’t hurt me when I ended our friendship. He should know it killed me. Why doesn’t he see it the way I see it?
“Maybe we can be friends again?” I try, sounding unaffected but wanting it so bad I could cry.
He stares at me for a long moment. “You mean that?”
“I do.”
“Maybe.”
It’s not a yes, but I’ll take it.
“But it’s probably for the best if we focus on our work and nothing else.”
Ouch .
A knock sounds on the door, and I step aside to let Cooper open it, expecting it to be Perry asking us to return to the group. It’s not Perry.
It’s not anybody I know.
A gorgeous young woman stands in the doorway. She’s not one of the cast members, and my hackles rise as she gives Cooper an alluring smile.
“Hey, Cooper. Sorry to show up unannounced, but I think I accidentally left my phone here earlier.” She grins. “When we were… hanging out.”
I immediately know ‘hanging out’ is synonymous with fucking, and a pit grows in my stomach.
“Roxanna.” Cooper’s clipped voice softens for her. “Always good to see you.”
“Likewise.” Her gaze slides from him to me. “Hi, I’m Roxanna. I’m Cooper’s friend.”
Cooper turns between us. “Uh, yes, Roxi, this is Sybil Laurence. She’s a co-producer on the show I was telling you about.”
I don’t know why I expect a catty smile instead of the genuinely kind one I get, but it unnerves me. I want to hate this woman, but I can’t. She radiates kindness underneath her natural sultriness, and she didn’t do anything wrong by being here.
She begins small talk, and it’s obvious she’s got something romantic going on with Cooper. I’m happy for him, I am. She’s gorgeous and kind, and she’s the face behind the name I saw on his phone at lunch earlier. They must have met up here after that and left her phone behind.
The familiarity between them makes my chest ache. I wish I could be a little more familiar with Cooper, that things didn’t have to be so broken between us. If we were still friends, I’d already know who Roxi was, and my stomach wouldn’t be hollow right now.
“Anyway, my phone?” She turns to Cooper. “I think it’s in your bedroom. Probably got knocked under the bed when I was kneeling.”
My mouth pops open, and I gape at them as Coop chuckles. Roxanna turns bright red, and she looks at me with wide, embarrassed eyes.
“Shit. Sorry, TMI,” she gushes. “Sometimes things come out of my mouth without going through my brain first.”
I hold up my hands and smile, though I’ll be the first to admit it’s a little forced. “I’m not here to judge. It was nice to meet you, Roxanna. I hope you find your phone.”
I hurry past her, heading to the dinner party and hoping my face isn’t beet-red.
Why do I even care? I don’t normally blush over this stuff.
I’m a sex-positive modern woman. And besides, Cooper used to have half a dozen of willing women on rotation, especially during our college years.
He was, by far , the biggest playboy I knew.
I’m not sure if he’s still that way, but I’d like for him to have a committed relationship with someone who loves him.
Don’t I?
I shake away the doubts creeping in and find I’m half-listening as I’m being introduced to the politician kids.
I shouldn’t say kids—they’re grown adults, and Sloan and Dane McGuire are exactly the kind of people who are going to make our show more interesting.
Their family is beloved by many, but like anyone in politics, they’re controversial.
Perry says a little politics will help make our show a hit. I hope he’s right.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, shaking Sloan and Dane’s hands. “I’m happy to have you guys on board.”
Sloan nods, and I immediately clock her as the politician's daughter that she is—groomed in media literacy and primped to perfection. I understand her well. Being the daughter of a billionaire meant a constant awareness of my surroundings and occasional bodyguards. Luckily for me, I’ve been able to stay out of the spotlight.
“You know why we’re doing this, right?” she says over dinner, her eyes flashing to Perry. “This isn’t for your benefit. It’s for ours. We have goals that are bigger than a tv show. Top of the World is a stepping stone for us.”
“Sloan,” her brother Dane chastises. “Can you lay off for one night, please? Mr. Hargrove already knows all about your lofty ambitions.”
Perry nods, and I catch Benton’s rapt expression across the table—he’s staring at the brother and sister pair like they’re the most entertaining people he’s met in a very long time. Hell, they probably are, and I think that we probably should’ve waited to introduce them all on camera.
“So, tell us about the other cast members,” Benton turns to Perry. “Before I can take this to my manager, I need to know what I’m getting myself into. She’ll never let me sign anything without the cast list completed.” He turns to the McGuire siblings. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Dane deadpans. “But just so you know, I’m a New York City prosecuting attorney, so I’m not dumb enough to sign something without being sure about it first. Assuming you get the same contract I did, it’s fair.
Though, I can’t be sure how much money they offered an NHL hockey player.
Should be a lot, but not like you’re a Yankee. ”
Benton’s jaw tenses. “Whatever it is, I’ll make sure it’s double what they’re giving you, being that you’re a city prosecutor and not the attorney general.”
Dane’s grin is somehow smug and charming all at once. Total politician. “Not yet.”
“Okay,” I intervene. “Save this drama for the cameras, will ya, boys?”
“Yes, please do.” Perry laughs. “We’re still working on a final location, but we’ll start filming within the month, so prepare yourselves.
Tie up any loose ends so you can focus. Yes, you will still be working, but you’ll need to stay in the city and make time for the show.
We’ll have cameras in your living space, which will make it easier for everyone. ”
“How much of our living space?” Benton asks wearily.
“Kitchen, dining, family room, outdoor space. Don’t worry, you’ll have privacy in your bedrooms and bathrooms, and you’ll each get your own bedroom. That’s part of what’s holding us up on filming. We need a space large to fit all of you.”
“And all of us are… who, exactly?” Sloan asks.
Is he going to disclose?
Perry pauses, considering his options, then lists names. Benton’s rigid demeanor softens, and his eyes grow large. These aren’t b-list celebrities who are being cast for Top of the World . This show is the big time, and Benton knows it. We all do.